1. Field of the Invention
An object of the present invention is a mobile radiological machine that can be used chiefly in the field of medicine. A mobile radiological machine is a radiological machine that bears an X-ray tube and can be used to bring this X-ray tube to the vicinity of a patient in any position and at any angle. A mobile machine such as this make's it possible notably to take radiographs of patients when it is impossible to bring them to a conventional type of radiography table because their health does not permit it.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are known mobile radiological machines constituted by a carriage that has a rectangular seating and supports a structure of hinged arms, to the end of which the X-ray tube is fixed. During use, the structure of arms is unfolded and the X-ray tube is presented in a projecting position with respect to the seating of the carriage. It can thus be shifted to the front or to the sides of the carriage. There are standards of stability that these mobile radiological machines must meet. For example in a test where it is sought to overturn the carriage by the application of a 23 kg effort to the X-ray tube, this effort should be countered effectively for any position of the carriage. To meet these constraints, mobile radiological machines of very great weight are built. For example, there are known mobile radiological machines with a total weight of the order of 450 kg. These machines are so heavy that they can be moved only by means of motors.
In the invention, it is sought to reduce the weight of a mobile radiological machine of this type in order to be able, if necessary, to remove the motors while at the same time also meeting the anti-toppling standards.
To resolve these problems, in the invention, the structure with unfolding arms has been provided with a unfolding limiting mechanism that takes account of the rectangular character of the carriage. Indeed, when the arm is unfolded towards the front of the carriage, since the carriage is long, the arms may be stretched further than when its arms extend laterally with respect to the carriage since the carriage is less wide than it is long. Consequently, the frontward overturning moment should be greater, for a given unfolding, than the sideways overturning moment.
Consequently, it is possible to allow greater unfolding towards the front. Consequently, in the invention, the mobile machine has been provided with means by which the unfolding of the structure is a function of the angle of orientation of this unfolding. The unfolding is the maximum towards the front and is limited on the sides.